A take-up reel is recommended for flexible substrates like fabric, mesh or banner material, and is essential for long runs and unattended printing. However, the amount of lead material you need to start your take-up reel can be costly when using high-end products. To keep you from wasting that higher-end material, here’s a quick tip to try when using your printer’s take-up reel.

In the example featured in the video above, we chose HP Light Fabric to print to. To avoid wasting several feet of unprinted fabric, we are going to create a re-usable leader out of a scrap piece of media.

Step 1: Measure

• Start by advancing the fabric to the take-up reel to measure the length needed for the leader.
• Once measured, rewind the fabric and remove the roll.
• To make the leader you will need:
  • Scrap media that’s the same width as the media you’re printing to
  • Quality tape
  • Utility knife

Step 2: Create Leader

• Since the width of the fabric is 42-inches, we’ll use a scrap piece of material that’s the same width
• Align both rolls and tape the edge of the leader to the fabric on both sides, and trim the tape edges flush.
• Make sure your tape is secure by applying some pressure with the tape roll after it’s in place.

Step 3: Ready to Print

• Now, reload the fabric with the leader into your printer and advance it to the take up reel.
• Pull the media taut and secure it to the spindle core with tape. Now you’re ready to print.

The leader we created here saves more than $25 of wasted media on this job alone. And better yet, it’s reusable for future savings as well.

For more information and video tips, visit the LexJet YouTube page and give us a call at 800-453-9538.